William homan



' No. 354,138. Patented Dec. 14, 1886.

MUAH? 'Ilya IJVVEJVTOR .Attorney WYTNESSES IINTTED STATES PATENT @erica VILLIAM HUMAN, OF NEWv IYORK, N. Y.

ADvr-:RTlsltie-ionen.a

SPECIFICATEOBT forming part o1' Letters Patent No. 354,133, dated December 14, 1886.

Serial No. 204,935. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, VILLIAM HOMAN, of the city, county, and State of N ew York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Advertising Cards or Circulars, of which the following is a specification.

Theinventiou is essentiallyan improvement upon the devices patented to me April 13, 1886, N os. 339,889 and 339,890.

I provide a card or circularl which may be folded along a weakened line, so arranged as to divide the whole into two parts of unequal size, and integral with the larger part forming aiocking-lip to serve, as in Patent No. 339,890, to hold the two parts detachably together. I provide a tearing-line not coincident with the folding-line,but upon the smaller part. The reply-coupon may be separated from the part which carries the canceled Stamp.

The invention is illusti-ated'in the accompa- Dying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a face viewof my preferred form of circular or card. It exhibits the advertisers address upon one part and an advertisement of his business upon another. Fig. 2 is a reverse View, showing upon the back face of the larger part additional advertisements and upon the smaller part the address of the customer. A tearing-line in these iigures, independent of the folding-line, allows the coupon or reply-card to be separated from the part which carries the direct-trip postagestamp.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a sheet of stiff paper divided into two parts of unequal area by aweakened line, a. By a curved or angulaislot or slit, b, I form in the larger part a locking-lip, a, which may by gentle pressure be projected from either face. When folded, this lip will engage the free edge of the smaller part. For convenience of this description the larger part is marked L, the smaller part S.v The front face of the part L is marked F, and its back face is marked B. The front face of the part S is marked F, and its back face is marked B.

When the customers address is written upon the back face, B, of the part L, the weakened line c will serve as a folding or also asa tearing line. The part S, which is the reply-coupon, is not marred by the direct stamp, or by the post-office marks of cancellation. When, however, this address is written on the part S, as seen in Fig. 2, I provide a tearingline, a, independent of the folding-line a, and fix the stamp for the outward journey on theportion of S between the folding-line a and the tearing-line a2. The postmark and the stamp of the direct trip are thus separated from the coupon, and cannot by any possibility form a confusing element in the return `journey.

rIhe postage-stamp for the direct trip-that is to say, the trip from the advertiser to the customer-will be placed at the point marked s. That for the return trip will be attached at points marked s on the face F of the part S. In practice the advertiser will have a quantity of the cards similarly prepared for distribution. 'The face F of the part L will carry his advertisement, setting forth his wares, their prices and advantages, and such other information as he may wish to make known to his customers. It may also indicate at f a desire for specic information. In some branches of trade this part f would serve to inform eustomers that our new catalogue is now completed, and one will be forwarded to you upon receipt of a request to that effect on the coupon hereunto attached. The advertiser also aftixes his name and address upon the face F of the part S, which serves as the reply-address.

The card may be distributed by mail or otherwise, the address of the customer being written. upon the back face, either upon that part marked B or that marked B. It' it is written upon the face B', (see Fig. 2,) the face B may be utilized by the advertiser in imparting further or other information to his custemer. In this case the reply-message is to be written above the customers address on the coupon.

A one-cent postage-stamp applied at s' to the face which carries the customers address will insure the delivery of the card by mail.

To impart the information sought, or to request a catalogue7 or for other reasons-21s, for instance, to order a quantity of the wares advertised, or to direct the line over which wares should be shippedhthe customer will Write IOO AWritten messages; but in the latter ease-that his message upon the face B', and, applyinga two-cent stamp at s on the face F', elther intact with the part L or separated therefrom, will rennail the coupon s.

Upon the outward trip the card is folded with the faces Bl B outward, and locked by the lip a in that position. If the whole is returned, the card is folded with the faces F F outward. The part F neednot be printed, but may be left blank, allowing the advertiser to write different messages or requests to different custoniers, and, in fact, more or less of the faces F B B may be left blank for such is to say, where the advertiser writes any portion of his message before mailing the card on its initial trip-a two cent stamp is required to prepay the postage for that trip.

The loekinglip a may be located at any preferred part of the part L, and more than one lip may be employed. the only necessity l being that the location shall be such as to insure its engagement with the free edge of the part S, l

The weakened line a may not extend entirely across the card. Portions along the line may be left solid, to avoid weakening the card at such points.

What I claim as new ism The folding advertising-card described, consisting of -two sections folded on each other, and having its part S divided by a tearingline, a2, independent of the folding-line a be- WM. HOMAN.

Witnesses:

F. A. RICHMOND, M. F. BoYLE. 

